News


Scamwarning POLICE have warned against a scamtargeted at pensioners. Aman in his 70s was phoned by


a woman who claimed she was froma court claiming hewas owed a lot ofmoney. To receive it, hewas instructed to


buy a number of music cards worth hundreds of pounds and to call her back with authentication codes. He also received a similar call re-


garding PPI payments owed to him. Another man, in his 80s, was


phoned by a fraudsterwho tried to persuade himto take cash froman account and transfer it to another to protect himfromscams. Police say that if such a call is re-


ceived, they should leave the phone for five minutes so that the line in clear of the fraudster. Cal Kent Police 01622 604100.


Lucky escape ADRUNKENwomanwho fell into the RiverMedway after a night out is lucky to be alive, her rescuers said. She was walking back to her


hotel when she stumbled and fell into thewater at 2amonDecember 17.


The woman, a non-swimmer,


was pulled to safety by her hus- band and a passer-by. Shewas later treated by theKent Search and Res- cue (KSAR). A KSAR spokesman said: “This


lady was extremely lucky and she knows it. “Had her husband and a mem-


ber of the public not acted so quickly, this could have been a ter- rible outcome.”


Drugs arrests KENT Police arrested four people in Maidstone in connection with the supply of controlled drugs. A55-year-oldman and a 52-year-


oldwoman fromMaidstone, an 18- year-old man from Sidcup and a 22-year-old man from Gillingham were arrested in Chatham Road at 2.40pm on Thursday January 4, 2018. Drugs believed to be crack co-


caine, mobile phones and a quan- tity of cashwere seized. The four were released while in- vestigations continued.


Name change MAIDSTONE’S Barming council ward has been renamed. It will now be called Barming


and Teston to reflect the division contains the latter. Borough councillor Fay Gooch


was behind a campaign to change the name.


24 Maidstone February 2018


downsmail.co.uk


Castle books royal visit as birthday plans begin


LEEDS Castle will host a royal visit next year as it celebrates its 900th anniversary. Her Royal Highness Princess


Alexandra (pictured)will open the tourist attraction’s new gardens in her name. Leeds Castle chief executive Sir


David Steel made his announce- ment in the Leeds and Broomfield parish newsletter. Hewrites in the January edition:


“As you can imagine, planning for such a year (2019) has to happen early, and I thought I would out- line some of our current plans. “First and foremost,we look for-


ward to welcoming our patron of well over 40 years,Her RoyalHigh- ness Princess Alexandra, to visit the estate and formally open our newwood- land walk gar- dens in her name. “Some


of


you will have seen how they are developing and changing and, while this is a six-year programme of improvement, I hope that the princess will see a real difference both in the quality


A FAMILY man who died in an inci- dent in Week Street in September have paid tribute to him. They describedWayne Chester as


a “huge character with an even big- ger heart”. Mr Chester died at McDonald's


on September 29 and his family held a service to himshortly before Christmas. SiblingsNaomi, Tracey, Jason and


Stephen said: “Wayne was a huge characterwith an even bigger heart. "We haven't only lost a brother


we’ve lost our best friend and have a void in our hearts…Wayne was a true gentleman – kind, caring, funny, generous to a fault, and loved by everyone one who was lucky enough to have had him in their lives. "Everyone we speak with either


who knewhimpersonally or knewof someone that knew him. "He never had a bad word to say


about anyone and saw the good in everyone and every situation. "Connor, Janie and Millie-Rose


(Wayne's children) have lost such an amazing Dad and he will never get to share the joy of walking his girls down the aisle or being a grandad. Wayne was a big part of their lives that can never be re- placed.” A 16-year-old boy from Maid-


stone was charged with Mr Chester’s murder and has been re- manded to a Youth Offender Insti- tution pending an appearance beforeMaidstone Crown Court.


of the garden areas and also in how wewish to use the garden to better reveal the history of the estate.” Leeds Castle has also submitted


an application for planning per- mission and ticketing office and workwill begin on that next year if it is granted. SirDavid hopes that a fully-func-


tioning waterwheel will be re- stored to the mill, adjacent to the Barbican, as a “means of revealing better just how this area operated andwhat for”. Atime capsule is to be planted to dug up in another 900 years’ time


Tributes to ‘huge character’


and a LeedsCastle anthemis being composed and performed at its classical concert. He added: “My hope is that we


can involve children from local school and colleges to joinwith the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. Ifwe can also get the Red Arrows, allmy giftswill have come at once!” SirDavid said that the refurbish-


ment of Battel Hall into an event venue and accommodation will soon be finished and theMaiden’s Towerwill have been redecorated.


Planning day BUSINESS and public sector leaders will converge on the county town at the end of the month to discuss development. The Kent Development Plans


conference will be held at the Maidstone Masonic Centre on January 29 and claims to be “one of the City’s largest busi- ness events of the year within the property and construction industry”. The eventwill hear a number


of speakers including Alison Broom, the borough council’s chief executive, Helen James, senior pro-vice chancellor at Canterbury Christ ChurchUni- versity,DavidGannicott, of the HydeHousingAssociation and Andy Fancy,managing director at Countryside Properties. A spokesman said: “This


event will provide an opportu- nity for those within the indus- try to gain insight on projects likely to take place within the region.”


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